Believed to be a first-of-its-kind mobile scanner, the compact BLK2GO is designed to seamlessly scan and capture complex 3D environments with efficiency and speed by combining LiDAR, SLAM (simultaneous localisation and mapping) and edge computing technologies.

The BLK2GO can capture spaces while the user is in motion to continuously create a digital representation in the form of 3D point clouds. The one-button operation and handheld design allows a much greater degree of simplicity and mobility, particularly useful for complex spaces and difficult-to-scan objects.

“The BLK2GO is the next step in the BLK series to democratise technology and create reality capture tools that are intuitive and accessible to users in many industries,” said Burkhard Boeckem, CTO Hexagon’s Geosystems division. “The BLK2GO is a major leap in technology and advances the powerful yet simple design of the BLK360 and offers much more speed, efficiency and mobility for users.”

Bringing together two-axis LiDAR with visual SLAM technologies, the BLK2GO has spatial awareness to know exactly where it is in space and will accurately follow a user’s trajectory while scanning. It can also be used alongside an iOS app which gives users live feedback and the ability to check device status and perform quick data inspection.

“When we considered the current limitations of reality capture methods, we found an opportunity to deliver a new tool that would allow drastically new reality capture workflows to augment existing methods and tools,” said Juergen Mayer, president of the Reality Capture Division at Leica Geosystems. “There is simply no other reality capture device on the market that has the mobility of the BLK2GO, nor the ability to capture seamlessly while in motion. We anticipate that professionals and users worldwide will find innovative and exciting new applications in their reality capture projects with the BLK2GO.”